Guidesense is a new assistive wearable from the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland. The device, which is designed to aid visually impaired people with mobility in day-to-day life, can sense objects and obstacles in the surrounding environment and relay those obstacles to its user through the use of both haptic and audio feedback.
Guidesense is worn around one's waist. The fanny pack-sized device contains millimeter wave radar sensors that are capable of detecting even minute objects in front of the wearer. If it senses that the wearer is approaching a nearby obstacle, vibrating motors inside the device will buzz an alert.
Guidesense's developers ran the device through a short test with 25 visually impaired people, and 80 percent of those people felt that the device improved their confidence in independent mobility and orientation.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Assistive Wearables
- Advancing the technology behind assistive wearables will drive innovation in health and wellness industries.
- Obstacle Detection
- Incorporating obstacle detection in wearables could revolutionize industries such as transportation and construction.
- Haptic Feedback
- Developing wearables that utilize haptic feedback could provide new opportunities for innovation in the entertainment industry.
Where This Applies
- Health and Wellness
- Integration of assistive wearables in the health and wellness industry could revolutionize accessibility for those living with disabilities.
- Transportation
- Obstacle detection in wearables could guide innovation in the transportation industry, providing safer and more accessible travel options.
- Construction
- Utilizing wearable obstacle detection technology in the construction industry could increase worker safety and reduce accidents.
